Train of wheeled vehicles.



M. J. TODD. TRAIN OFWHEELED VEHICLES. A PP LIOATION FILED APILZZ, 1913.

Patented Jan.6,1914.

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M. J. TODD. TRAIN OF WHBELED VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22 1913.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

q vi Cumazo its STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARQUIS'J.-=TODD, or BUFFALO; NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO BUFFALO rrrrs COMPANY,

- or BUFFALO, new roux, A conrona'rrgn or new Your.

TRAIN or WHEELED VEHICLES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAR UIS J. Tool), of Bufialo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trains of \Vheeled Vehicles; and Ido herebydeclare the following to be a. full, clear, and exact descript-ion oft-he invention, such as will enable .others skilled in the art. to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to trains of wheeled vehicles capable of being moved in either direction without'the necessity of reversing the position of the engine relatively to the rain,-tl1e several vehicles being connected by coupling members which'are' pivoted toadjaccnt. vehicles and .capable \of being locked to each rear of successive vehicle.

l-Icrctofore when it has been" desired to reverse the direction oftravel of'a train, and any two vehicles, or the engine and the next adjacent vehicle, are at an angle to.

each other, diiliculty has been ex'perlenced in locking the coupling member to the vehicle which is now the rear one relatively to the direction of travel.

One object of my invention is'to overcome this ditliculty, and this I accomplish by providing means whereby the couplingmembers may be readily locked to a vehicle regal-dies of the position it occupies in respect to the next ad acentyelncle'.

A further object is to allow the coupling members it locked to a rear vehicle while.

the latter is atan angle, tobe moved and automatically and permanently locked when in line with the longitudinal center of such vehicle.

A further object is to equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2- is an enlarged plan view showing the conplin between two vehicles. Fig. 3 is a 'centra longitudinal sectional view of one of the conpling members. Fig. 4 is a. similar viewshowingthelocking means in adifferent position.. Fig. 5 is a sect on on line 5-5,

" Specification of Ltterslatent.

effect the unlocking, of-"a coupling member from one vehlcle as.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914-.

"Fig. 3; Fig. .6 iso sectional detail; Fig-7 is'a plan of one of the racks.

In the drawings Ihave shown a, train of. I

vehicles, each vehicle having four carryingwheels 1, the axles 20f which are pivoted. andconnected' together so that both sets of wheels and. axles will movein unison for facility in turning a curve. Any suitable mcansmay be employed for connecting the axles, that" shown comprising crank-shaft 3 connected at its ends through divergent arms 4 to the axles 2 at points near the ends thereof. I a

till the vehicles of a train are coupled by corresponding means, and each coupling elementis capable of being locked to either oftwo vehicles. regardless 'of the relative angle betwe'n the vehicles, and in unlocking 1 from one vehicle a. locking is eil'ected with another vehicle. 1 f

6 designates the coupling member which is shown in the form of a bar which, at. its

opposite ends, is pivoted to the running gear of adjacent vehicles. According to the means shown, the ends of the coupling bars are engaged byvertically-movable pins 7 so as to be free to move in all directions.

each side series is inclined toward the cehtral notch, while the outer wall of each side notch is practically straight. Each rack is mounted on a frame which is shown as framearm at its rear end bifurcated and formed with coincident eyes to accommodate a pivot pin 13 which extends through an enlarged opening in; a lag or clip 14 secured to the axle and projecting between the bifurcatedmembers of the arm. -By these means I the rack frames are flexibly connected to the axles.

Each couphng -bar is shown as provlded onits under side with fingers which are spaced apart from, and parallel the under side of the bar, forming spaces to accommodate the racks. In these fingers, and also in the coupling bar, are formed longitudinal slots through which are designed to project .rre pivoted to the sides of the'coupling bar,

while at its upper end it is provided with a handle 19. Each pin 17at its upper end has a weight 20 at right angles thereto, the purpose of which is to hold the pin normally inverticalposition. These pins 17 arecapable of being swung on their pivots, but normally will be held perpendicular relatively to the coupling bars by their respective weights.

"When one coupling pin is in engagement with its respective rack, the other coupling. pin will be :out of engagement with its respective rack. 'NVhen a train of vehicles is moved on a straight line the coupling pin 17 of the forward end of-the'rear vehicle of each pair of vehicles will be in engage ment with-the central notch of its rack, thereby holding the coupling bar rigid-in respect to such rear vehicle, the coupling bar being free to move on its pivot in respect to the rear end of the forward vehicle of the pair. If it be desired to reverse the direction of travel of the train, the operator throws the shifter 18 so as to disengage the coupling pin ofwhat has been the front end of the rear vehicle of the pair from the central notch of its respective rack'and at the same time throws the other coupling pin into engagement with the rack of the now rear vehicle of the pair, and'if adjacent vehicles be at an angle the pin will engagewith one o the notches on the curved edge of the raclt The coupling bar cannot move farther outwardly because of the resistance of the outer or straight wall of the notch withwhich'its pin is in engagement, but as the two vehicles approach 'a straight'line the pivoted coupling pin will be moved autoinalically from onev notch to the other until the straight line is attained between the two vehicles, whereupon the pin will enter the central notch, and. thereafter the coupling bar? will be permanently locked in line with the longitudinal center of the rear vehicle.

It will be understood, of course, that when the direction ofv travel of theZtrain is reversed so that the engine is at the tear, the steering is accomplished at the front end of the foremost vehicle of train. Any

- suitable means may be employed for effecting the steering, as,- for instance, that shown and described in Letters Patent [of the United States No. 981,499 issued to me on the 10th day of January, 1911.

The "advantages of my invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the-art. It

will be observed that the coupling bars,

while retaining their locked relation to a vehicle, may be automatically moved relatively to each vehicle until inline with the longitudinal centers thereof, whereupon they will be fixedly locked and so held until it is desired to again reverse the direction of travel. It; will also be observed that regardless of the angle between: the several vehicle'sof a train, the coupling bar may be readily unlocked .from one vehicle and locked'to the next adjacent vehicle, and that this unlocking and'locking-is eifected by the movement of a single element. a 5- 1 While I have shown and described. means which. I have found most advantageous for carrying out my present invention-,it will be understood that I do not restriet'myself to the construction andarrangement shown for accomplishing the purposes in view.

I claim as my invention:. 1

1. In combination with a train of wheeled vehicles, and means for looking a couplingmember to-either of its respective vehicles regardlcss'of the relative positions of such vehicles, such means-being constructed andarranged to allow a relative movement bee tween :1 coupling member and the vehicle ,to which itis locked when said couplingmemher is on either side of the center line of draft. f' v 2. In combinatioii with a train of wheeled] vehicles, coupling-members pivotally fconuected to adjacent vehicles, locking means carried by each couplin member, and niea ns carried by adjacent vehlcles with whiclnsaid fob locking means may cooperate todock a. coin pling member to either of adjacent-vehicles regardless of the relative positions, of s1ich vehicles, such coupling means being-com structed and arranged to allow the coupling member to move relatively thereto when. on

either side of the center line of draft.

3. In-combination with a train of wheeled vehicles, couplingsmembers pivotally connected to adjacent vehicles, locking pins carried by each couiling member, means forshifting such locring pins, and racks carried by adjacent vehicles with which said pins may engage to lock a couplinganember to either of adjacent vehicles regardless of the relative positions of such vehicles.

4. A wheeled vehicle having a coupling bar pivoted thereto,- a curied' rack carried by said vehicle, and alocking member car; ried by said coupling bar for engaging 'said rack, which lat-ter is formed to permit the coupling bar to be swung on its pivot only toward the longitudinal center of the vehicle when the locking member is in engagement with the male.

'5'. A wheeled vehicle-having a coupling bar pivoted thereto, a curved rack carried by said vehicle, and a locking member carried by said coupling bar for engaging said rack, said rack having notches formed to permit the coupling bar to be swung on its pivot from either side to the longitudinal center of. the vehicle when the locking member is in engagement with said rack.

6. A wheeled vehicle having a coupling bar pivoted thereto, a curved rack carried by said vehicle, and a locking member carried by said coupling bar for engaging said rack, said rack having two sets of notchesv curved in opposite directions toward the center of the rack, said notches allowing the coupling bar to be swung laterally while the locking member is in engagement therewith.

7. A wheeled vehicle having a coupling bar .pivoted thereto, a curved rack carried by said vehicle, and a locking member carried by said coupling bar for engaging said rack, said rack having two sets'of notches curved in opposite directions toward the .center of the rack, one wall of each notch being substantially on a straight line, and the opposite wall inclined.

8. A wheeled vehicle having a coupling bar pivoted thereto, a curved rack carried by said vehicle having a central-notch with opposite walls on straight lines, and having two series of notches on opposite sides of said central notch, each series being curved toward the center of said rack, and a pivoted locking member carried by the bar and capable of riding in one direction over each set of teeth, but fixedly held by said central notch.

9. In combination with a train of wheeled vehicles, coupling members pivoted to adjacent vehicles, each vehicle having a rack extending horizontally through the central line of draft, and locking means carried by the coupling members for cooperating with said racks permlttmg a relative movement between a vehicle and its respective coupling member, as the. latter is moving toward the central line of draft.

10. In combination with a train of wheeled vehicles, each vehicle having shiftable axles, and means connecting such axles, coupling members between adjacent vehicles,

locking means carried by each coupling cause it to unlockthe coupling member from one vehicle as it is locked to the other vehicle.

12. In combination with a pair of wheeled vehicles, a coupling bar pivotally connected to bothvehicles, a sliding'locking element carried by said coupling bar for fixedly holding the latter to one or the other of said vehicles, and means for actuating said sliding locking element .to unlock the coupling bar from one vehicle as it islocked to the other vehicle.

13. In combination with a pair of wheeled vehicles, a coupling bar pivoted to both vehicles, each vehicle having a toothed portion, locking members carried by said coupling bar and selective at the will of the operator for engaging the toothed portion of one or the other of said vehicles, and means for conjointly actuating both coupling members to unlock the coupling bar from one toothed portion as it is locked to the other toothed portion. I

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses. v MARQUIS J. TODD. Witnesses F ANNIE S. MAGUIRE, LIILDRED P. Iannm.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

